Dealing with Controversy. As we enter into this end time era, I feel that we all need to know how to deal with controversy. Jesus dealt with it; from the time He started His Ministry until the Day He was crucified. Have you ever dealt with areas of life that caused a division among you and your friends, your spouse or your entire family? It’s difficult to be different, isn’t it? Lets deal with specifics of controversy. Controversy is a disagreement, or debate. Here is one that James dealt with ; James 2:2-4 For if there come into your synagogue ( church, place of worship) a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, and there come in also a poor man in vile ( loathsome, nasty, obnoxious, odious, base, degraded, foul, ect) clothing; and ye have regard (look upon, gaze at, have preference to, ect) to him that weareth the fine clothing, and say, Sit thou here in a good place; and ye say to the poor man, Stand thou there, or sit under my footstool; Do ye not make distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? These three verses are pretty self-explanatory aren’t they? Controversy starts with a difference of opinion, or a difference in policy. So you ask, “Where s the controversy here?” Its everywhere a poor man cant come into a church, to seek after God, dressed the way he is, maybe all he has are a pare of blue jeans and a clean shirt, some churches would stop Him at the door and refuse him entrance, Yes, its true, I’ve seen it. Have we gotten to the point that salvation is only for the best dressed or only for those that can afford it? Isn’t salvation a free gift from God? Have we become a Nation of judges, having evil thoughts? Maybe so, or maybe, we have lost sight of who we are in Christ. The end days are a negative time that needs to be addressed and opened up. If we are to endure and be faithful witnesses for Christ, we must bring out the worst of mankind to help others make a complex decision on their place in eternity. Dealing with controversy here is learning to deal with, church doctrine and making it line up with the word of God, instead of contradicting it. Hebrews 13:2-3 Forget not to show love unto strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; them that are illtreated, as being yourselves also in the body. We have a responsibility to others that are in bondage as once we were, to help set them free, and those that are illtreated (abused, neglected), to suffer with them, showing compassion.
Lets stop and think for a moment, has there ever been a time in your life that you’ve met someone, talked to him or her for a moment and turned around and they were gone from sight? Or you needed help along side the road, and all of a sudden someone was there? Have you ever passed by someone on the road and looked in your rearview mirror and couldn’t see them? Have you ever turned away someone away from the church because of the way they were dressed? Someone that may have been turned away from the church doors, could have been an angel. Now we all know the difference between vile raiment and just plain vulgar clothing, the latter must be stopped at the door and addressed. But to turn away some one because of a dress code or other doctrine, that, might I say, is contrary to sound doctrine, is very dangerous. Because of James 2:2-4 and Hebrews 13:2-3.
Matthew 19:23-25And Jesus said unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, It is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. (The Sadducees and Pharisees, were fixed on or had an fixation on clothing and fine apparel, which became part of their downfall) And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye (a passage way, very narrow, that camels had to be unloaded to pass thru, on the trade route), than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And when the disciples heard it, they were astonished exceedingly, saying, Who then can be saved? Controversy, because something hadn’t been taught before makes it difficult for people to comprehend and understand. Sometimes people have been taught wrong for so long that they begin to take it as being right. Controversy on the salvation of the rich over the poor. Jesus was asking in His teachings, “Who among you have made the Rich better than the Poor as far as salvation, as far as sin, as far as condemnation, as far as the Law and as far as Gods love for each?” Matthew 19:30 But many shall be last that are first; and first that are last. Your status or station on earth will not be the status that you will receive in Heaven. {M.H.} There will be reversals; those rich on earth, but poor hereafter; those high in station, degraded hereafter; and the lowly on earth, exalted hereafter. The right man to follow any cause, be it what it will, is he who loves it well enough to fling to it everything he has in the world, and then think that not enough, and so fling himself after it. This last item often weighs down the scales in heaven, and the man gets what he gave himself for. This is where many controversies lie. Being exalted of ourselves here, self-righteousness, does nothing to change the destiny that is ours in the afterlife. Jesus once said of John the Baptist, Matthew 11:11 “Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is but little in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” This in itself, is a controversial, statement, because of mans pride wanting to be the best of everything. If the smallest in Heaven is to be greater than the greatest man born of woman, then where are we as man, not born the greatest of woman, going to stand? Humbleness is a virtue that we all need to work on.
Our station in Heaven is only secure if we are obedient to the will of God. This does not take away from our rewards, for the labor that we have done in the name of the Gospel. It is only teaching that rich or poor there is no difference in the eyes of God. Want more proof, lets read a little more in Matthew. Matthew 20:9-12 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a shilling.
And when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received every man a shilling.
And when they received it, they murmured against the householder, saying, These last have spent but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat. Who has made us higher than God, who has made us judges of what is right and wrong? Who among us can tell God who deserves what type of reward? Mat 20:15-16 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Or is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last. When we start thinking that we are better than others, then we inter into sin. Controversy is not just the sins of the flesh but also sins of the mind. Matthew 5:27-28 Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. John 6:53-60 Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have not life in yourselves. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he that eateth me, he also shall live because of me. This is the bread which came down out of heaven: not as the fathers ate, and died; he that eateth this bread shall live for ever. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard this, said, this is a hard saying; who can hear it? Speaking things contrary to popular beliefs brings forth controversy and debate. Speaking of controversy, Jesus opened the eyes of the religious community, by telling them; it’s not only the sins of the flesh that you have to worry about but also the sins of the mind. What is controversy? Jesus is. Jesus was and is, the most controversial man in history. What other man do you know in history, ever took 12 unimpressive men and turned the world upside down. Jesus took controversy and changed this world forever. Believing in Jesus and the Gospel has always been controversial; it is not for us as believers to deal with controversy but just the opposite. It’s the world of unbelief that has to deal with Jesus. Religion and worldly laws must come to grips with the teachings of Jesus. God gave man, law and man failed to abide by them. All controversy stems from the righteous teachings of Jesus. Why? Because the teachings of Jesus allow for the inclusion of all man kind and not just a chosen few. Wars, rumors of wars, hate, strife, abortion, homosexuality, infighting among the church, pride, arrogants, ect, all come from resistance of the Gospel. 1Titus 1:8 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully, Those who are unbelievers are lost due to their knowledge of carnal sin and must repent to have everlasting life. For where there is no law there is no knowledge of sin. Paul stated that he only knew sin by the knowledge of the law.
The teachings, of Jesus, were and still are, so much more advanced than any other, and controversy is always around. He opens all the locked closets, turns on all the lights to brighten the dark places, reveals all the dirty laundry, tells all the hidden secrets and tells all the truths of your life, making them known to all the world, He lays all sins bare before the world, He makes the crooked straight, and the mountains flat, the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak. He humbles the mighty, and exalts the weak. He has made the impossible, possible, the wrongs, right and the united, divided. He came not to bring peace but a sword, not to bring adhesion but division, among nations, leaders and families.
All the controversial issues of life, abortion, same sex marriages, homosexuality, politics, nation, church leadership, women’s rights, baptism of babies, ECT, all answered in the word. So then if all answers are given in the Scripture, why are we having such a hard time in coming together as one body, “Pride”. Answers are only as good as the ability of a person to accept them; otherwise they become only words on a page. You all know this next set of verses, lets get to the point. Mark 4:12-20, emphasis on Mark 4:19-20 and the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And those are they that were sown upon the good ground; such as hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. We deal with controversy by dealing with Christ and the Word of God. Once we believe in Him that sent His Son to die for us, we no longer live or have to deal with controversy. As believers in Christ we have been made over comers by the word of God and by our testimony. All controversy stems from the Gospel, because it is contrary to the laws of man and mans idea of what life should be. Sin and unrighteousness are contradictions of the Gospel and result in controversy. Many don’t and will never believe in Jesus or God. Their lives are spent in trying to discredit the Gospel to justify their lifestyle. Dealing with controversy is as easy as praying. Cast all your cares on the Lord, for He cares for you. Ars
